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Monday, 20 May 2013

Creative Writing Tips: Every Day Lives

Applies to Fantasy,
for the most part.

This is something that never really
occurred to me until planning my newest book. I created my world for the
purpose of a story, I invented the land, the monarchs, the wealth, the
technology, the resources - I created all of it myself, for the purpose of one
to three books, depending on the scale of the story.

But the story would not have
happened if not for the plot. If nothing dangerous or out of the ordinary
happened, I'd not have much of a story - not an interesting one anyway, so,
naturally, I needed to also invent a villain, their motive, their plan and so
on, and create a counter to it to prevent them from succeeding, as is usually
the way. But, what I often forget is that the world would have continued
on whether the villain had come along or not, and not all stories start in the
middle of the plot. Some key characters, especially those in a high social
position, most likely have plans and worries that would take priority if they
didn't have to get involved with the villain.

This isn't key for every fantasy
story - if your main character is a farm boy, then it's unlikely that they'd
have much planned in the long run - but if your main character is a princess or
a councilman, then they'd probably have quite a social agenda, and that needs
to be kept in mind, particularly at the beginning before anything seems amiss
to them.

This can be difficult, especially
if your character is in a position you are unfamiliar with, be it existant or
not. What you need to do at the very least is use your common sense. If your
character is a princess, then who would be around them most of the time? Who
would be needed? Guards? Tutors? Hand maidens? What sort of things would they
be expected to attend or see to? Do they have an education they have to get in
a specific craft? If it's a princess it may be more along the lines of lessons
in politics and social etiquette, and if its a military commander, they may
have to attend strategy meetings and organise training and such. Your
characters need to have a social plan to be disrupted, particularly for
characters such as these, or it'll seem as though their lives are empty and
they were subconsciously expecting the plotline. Afterall, as I said, if the
villain and his plan had not occurred, their lives would have continued as
normal. You need to create the idea that they will do so until they get
involved with the plot, even if just about none of the plans they made ever
happen.

These are the kinds of things you
should think about:

Who do they surround themselves
with? Colleagues? Subordinates? Servants? Cows? These depend on your
character's profession and position, of course. If none of these fit then clear
your head, picture your character and their job, and ask yourself who you see
around them, or what words tie into their profession.

What do they do? Do they have to make
reports to their higher-ups? Do they have to attend weekly markets or meetings?
Do they have to maintain something like a stable, a farm, a shop and so on?

What hobbies do they have? Do they even have
time for them? These pass-times don't necessarily have to be anything they're good
at, but something they enjoy. I'm not good at singing at all, but I still enjoy
to belt the words to a song I like (as long as I think no one can hear me).
They could be related to their profession or position, or they could be the
complete opposite. A soldier might enjoy to paint; a princess might enjoy
fighting. Hobbies could also be secret, either due to shame, embarrassment,
danger or a surprise, among many other things.

What responsibilities do they have? Do they
govern a city? Are they highly regarded by members of their village or even
country? Are they perhaps the opposite, and completely hated and outcasts? Do
they have their own personal plans, or do their plans revolve around other
people, or are relied on by other people? Such as an event can't take
place without them.

Brainstorm. What I find helps is a
pen and paper so you can write ALLLL over it and see the whole sheet at once,
which isn't as easy on a computer or laptop. It also means you won't lose
everything you've mapped out. What I also find helps is to write down every
word that seems relevant to what you're trying to plan, even if it doesn't seem
important. If I were mapping out a military position, I would have words like
"war" and "army" popping up, even though they should go
without saying. But, by writing down these obvious words, it can help to remove
them from the forefront of your mind and make room for new suggestions, and it
can also help you get into the swing of writing down any word that comes to
mind. Even if you know you have no intention of using whatever a word might
imply, it's best to write it down anyway, and get it out of your head. For
example, if I was mapping out wizards but I had no intention of using
necromancy at all, I'd still write it down just to remove it from my head,
otherwise the word would keep popping up because I would be trying to
ignore it.

Once you've given your characters
a social or working agenda, their lives will seem fuller, and they will seem of
more value, both to you, and your readers, even if your readers don't know
quite as much as you. Most of these events may not come to pass, though some
might be fitted into the story and used as an advantage to either the
protagonist, or the antagonist, perhaps as a way to stage something or to lure
someone out. But these plans are made to be broken, and can help make it easier
to start your story off, if your story starts on a normal day that begins like
any other. You'll know what your character is looking forward to and what they
have on their mind, and what they have to get done that day. And that can make
a whole world of difference. Some of the questions you ask yourself may even
bring up answers that could completely change the route of the entire story, or
grant you a small idea that can be built on to create a plot or suggestion for
an entirely new book, if you can take it far enough in the right direction. I
have found this twice while planning a book - I worked on it for a day, and
already had two alternative books coming out from it just from a note or two.

Yeah, it's something I've struggled with for years, too. I've only just realised it when I was talking to my boyfriend recently.It's quite funny, actually - writing these creative writing tips posts has made me a better writer, because I'm realising new things while writing them, and keeping on top of it!

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